life update + lists

Well, finals are upon me with a vengeance!  Two of my course pages for my online classes have magically disappeared.  Commence emergency emails to instructors!  I still have papers and finals to take for those classes, so hopefully everything will be restored fast.  But by next Friday I should be all done!  Then it's on to preparation for next semester's classes: buying books, getting a job to pay for those books, trying to coordinate my schedule with Rachel's.  Fun times, my friends.  Fun times.

On Wednesday I finished up my observation time that I've been having to do for my intro to teaching class.  50 hours of observation, done!  But it was so sad saying goodbye to all the kids in the second grade class I've been in all semester.  I just adore all of them, and will miss getting to see them every week. :(

This past week, the father of some people I grew up with died after dealing with some serious health issues for several months now.  I didn't really know him all that well, but I grew up with his son and daughter.  Praise the Lord that this man is with Him now!  Please pray for the rest of the family as their father and husband isn't with them for this holiday season.

Corrie ten Boom has always been such an inspiration to me, along with Amy Carmichael and Elisabeth Elliot.  I loved "In My Father's House" and "The Hiding Place", and so far I'm really loving "Tramp for the Lord" too.  She did so much with her life, even though she was already in the fifties by the time she was released from the concentration camp she had been held captive in.  What an inspiration!

The weather's been pretty nice here lately, so it doesn't feel so much like Christmas.  I really hope it snows soon!  But at least it's getting cold now, so there's that Christmas-y chill.

Here's a few lists for your December weekend.  Hang some lights, put up your trees, sing some carols!  Get in the Christmas spirit!  Thank God for this time.

music artists I'm loving
Jason Reeves
JJ Heller
the Wailin Jennys
Lifehouse
Julia Sheer
Casting Crowns

what I ingest every day
vitamins and supplements (everyday, calcium, iron, B-1, and D-3)
some type of cereal (usually Chex or rice krispies)
peach tea
popcorn

sights that make me happy
Chloe laughing
"assignment submitted"
brightly colored walls, especially reds, blues, and greens
true love
people eating.  I know, that sounds weird, but for some reason I really like watching people eat. :)
my board of gratefulness
getting new followers on my blog
comments! (hint hint)
seeing that my hair is getting longer!  And curlier, which is kind of a contradiction, actually...  It's also getting darker.
craft ideas.  I hardly ever actually do any, but I really like seeing what other people are doing and contemplating doing them myself.
typography + inspirational quotes + a beautiful picture
people worshipping

things I'm looking forward to
financial aid distribution for next semester (can't come soon enough!)
being done with classes for this semester
Christmas!!!!  And 2013.
attempting to live in three centuries!  After hearing about this woman, I've decided that that should be on my bucket list.  Technically, I only have to live to be 107.  The only problem is...that sounds incredibly painful.
figuring out what I'm doing next summer
getting all my presents ready for my family!  Usually I'm not so cheery about this, but I came up with great presents for everyone this year, so I'm really excited. :)
getting a camera for Christmas!  It's a gift from my parents that I had to go buy on Black Friday.  The irony.

why I love this season (fall/winter)
changing leaves
scarves!  And sweaters, tights, boots, layers, etc.
this is the time of year I want to get married in
the sky is so blue.  If your eyes aren't stinging too badly from the cold to appreciate it.
the smell of the fireplace
hazardous driving conditions.  Haha, not!  That would be one of my few dislikes for this season.
nostalgia
movies for this season.  While You Were Sleeping, Everything You Want, Little Women, etc.